Visual Arts
Specimen
Examination Paper
Question 1 (c)
An approach to addressing
the question
Question 1 contains three parts: (a), (b) and (c). Each
part focuses on a particular aspect of content: the Frames,
the Conceptual Framework and Practice.
Curriculum Support
In the Specimen Examination Paper, (c) focuses on
Practice.
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Teachers are reminded that following the advice in the
introduction to the Specimen Examination Paper,
questions may not replicate the same aspects of content
as the Specimen paper. Additionally parts of the question
may not necessarily be organised in the same order, e.g.
(c) could address either practice OR frames OR
conceptual framework. The plates and extracts of text
may also vary in number and type for each question part.
For example, an extract of text could contain an artist’s
statement, or an art critic’s writing.
The following questions refer to the information provided
in the sample, specifically on the artist, Rembrandt Van
Rijn, but the strategies learned by students will have
broader application. Some of the questions assume
knowledge of concepts such as conventions regarding
representation (portraits, gender, oil painting). Students
should incorporate these into their understandings of
art history in their response to practice.
Students need to be able to organise information based
on the syllabus content, particularly practice, using the
information provided in the question.
What is the question asking you to do?
• To discuss Rembrandt’s practice—consider the
artist’s intentions, choices, and actions within the
context of his world.
• To discuss, implies the answer should be written in
narrative form, if possible.
What information does the question offer you to support
your investigation?
• Three images of artworks (plates) with citations
• Biography of significant events.
What are the key words or phrases in the question?
• Practice; intentions; choices; actions; world.
The following questions have been developed to suggest
ways of addressing the sample question about practice
in the Specimen Paper 1 (c) and could be used by teachers
and students to build a response. These suggestions can
be adapted to suit the levels of understanding of students.
The following questions refer to practice, Rembrandt’s
artmaking practice and art history. They address issues
related to the artist’s representations, his intentions,
choices and actions. (Refer to the Stage 6 Visual Arts
Syllabus: Objectives and Outcomes, pp. 12–13 and
Practice in Artmaking, Art Criticism and Art History, pp.
19–22)
In addressing practice questions such as this, students
will be able to develop strategies for finding clues in the
information given them, which they can apply to
variations on the style of a part (c) question, or to any of
the parts of Question 1.
These questions are organised to provide clues as to the
source of the information: the images, the citations, the
biography.
The artist’s world: Contextual factors which can be gleaned from the information and which have a bearing on his practice.
Images
What is the subject matter of the three
works?
Was this a convention of the time?
Citations
Are the works the same or different
forms?
Is this important?
Biography
What does it mean to be apprenticed, a
master painter and a member of the
guild?
What do the images reveal about the
subject as a “man of his time”, and of his
social status?
(Pose, clothing, environment)
What do the citations reveal about the
form and materials?
Does this suggest that these are
conventions or innovations?
The biography mentions that Rembrandt
was from a wealthy family. Is this
relevant?
(Refer to 1626: age, practice and to 1631:
first mention of commissions)
Printmaking is a northern European
tradition.
Is Rembrandt working in the traditional
form?
The images are all the same size; are the
actual works the same size as each other?
What is important about him taking on a
pupil early in his career?
What stylistic conventions in the images
reveal that they are Baroque?
What information in the citations suggest
that the images are stylistically Baroque?
From 1629 to 1630 he experimented with
facial expressions. How is this relevant to
his practice at the time and for his career?
Are Renaissance conventions of (male)
portraiture evident in these works?
From 1631 to 1641 his main commissions
were for portraits. What do plates 6 & 7
reveal about his portraits?
What is the implication in Rembrandt’s
interest in self-portraiture, as in the
plates, and the portraits as noted in the
biography?
What information is given in the
biography about the events in his life at
the time each of the three works were
made?
What can be assumed from his 1642
commission to paint The Nightwatch?
Was this such a significant commission?
How does it signify his status?
What happened to his practice following
1642? What does this suggest?
Images
What do the images and the titles suggest
about the intentions of the artist? (refer
to poses, compositional arrangements,
paint quality, use of line, light and colour)
Citations
Why would he have decided to do an
etching of himself as a wide-eyed young
man?
Biography
In 1629 he was experimenting with facial
features. Why is this important?
What is significant about the change in
stylistic form between plates 6 & 8?
The size of the paintings (plates 6 & 8)
are significantly different. What do you
think this signifies?
Why did he choose to paint commissioned
portraits?
What is apparent about the change in
conceptual practice between plates 6 &
8?
What information is contained in the
citations that assists you to understand
the techniques and materials he uses?
Why did he choose to make self-portraits?
How are the intentions of each work
consistent with the conventions of the
time (and Rembrandt’s status)?
And why three self-portraits, in the final
year of his life?
What do the images reveal about how
Rembrandt represents himself?
What information in the biography assists
in determining the artist’s intentions?
What is apparent from the images about
his use of the materials in each work
(techniques)?
What are the biography and the plates
revealing about Rembrandt’s practice, the
social structures, beliefs, actions and
ideas that sustain his work as an artist?
What effect does this have on the form
and way we (as audience) read the
subject?
Creative Arts
Intentions, choices and actions: This part of the question asks you to identify what were the choices and actions that Rembrandt
made and how these are aspects of his practice.
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